Searing heat not an issue for Roy

England manager Roy Hodgson has confirmed his players will not be following France’s lead by using ice jackets to cool down in Donetsk today.

It is forecast to top 30 degrees today for the Euro 2012 Group D opener.

With the Donbass Arena scheduled to be at its 50,000 capacity, give or take a few hundred seats still to be sold, it is likely to be even warmer on the pitch.

France coach Laurent Blanc has instructed his players to wear “Cyro Jackets” at half-time where ice can be inserted into eight specially designed pockets.

Hodgson’s players will not be doing the same.

“We’ll deal with the heat as best we can. It does get hot in England from time to time.

“The heat is a factor for all the teams playing in the Ukraine but it’s important we don’t put too much emphasis on conditions.

“It plays a slightly bigger role in the earlier game, but the bottom line is that it’s the same for both teams.”

Defender Joleon Lescott acknowledged the ferocity of the heat not long after landing following a two-hour flight from Krakow, which had been significantly cooler.

“The heat is no joke as well,” he said on Twitter.

There have been occasions when England have found intense heat impossible to deal with, most notably in their 2002 World Cup quarter-final with Brazil in Shizuoka, when the Three Lions wilted after going in front.

Captain Steven Gerrard was missing through injury then, although he was present in Germany four years later when England combated the conditions much better.

And the Liverpool man prefers not to get sidetracked by such matters anyway.

“We can cope with the heat,” he said.

“But it’s important not to think too much about the heat and conditions.

“There will be 50,000 people there. It’s what you want to be involved in. Nobody will be fearing the heat or the French.”